This invention relates to heating dwellings and other structures by sunlight.
Heating by sunlight has a number of inherent, well-recognized advantages, particularly resulting because solar systems do not generally produce air pollutant nor do they consume any limited resource. Typically in solar systems a dark object is placed in a heat-insulative container which admits sunlight. The sun rays are converted to heat by the dark object and are trapped by the insulation. Heat is taken out through a circulated fluid, which may be water or air.
Extraction of the heat by air or some other readily available gas is quite desirable since the use of air for heat transfer yields the following benefits:
(1) Air is much less corrosive to its ducts than typical liquids; PA1 (2) Air does not require expensive sealing and incasement; PA1 (3) Air is light-weight and readily mobile; PA1 (4) Air does not freeze and thus it does not raise anti-freeze or draining requirements; and PA1 (5) Air is readily adaptable to existing heat duct systems.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a solar heating system well suited to the use of atmospheric air to transfer heat.
Similarly, it is a more specific object of this invention to provide a solar heating system for a dwelling or other structure which employs simple and small electric fans to circulate air to transfer heat.
It is another object of this invention to achieve the foregoing objects with a system which is adapted to be readily increased and decreased in size of heat absorbtion area.
Additionally, the heat collector units provided in accordance with this invention are light weight and therefore are not subject to expensive structural requirements either for themselves or for their supporting structure.